Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-02
QUEER AND CRAZY wAGERS.
D1g nets Made BY wealthy Men
fer Fan and NHomey.


worlds history we find the rage for
making wagers prevalent. Inc Nom
ans had a great taste for making wagers
and bets, and they had conventional
form Of ratifying these contracts, when
consisted in taking from the finger the
ring which the higher classes invari-
ably wore and giving it into the keep
ing of some third party or umpire says
Ckambers' Journal.
wager was made early in last GEN.
tury by a banker named Bulliot. He
was firm believer in the superstition
that is rain fell on st. Swithin's day
duly 15) it will also fall, more or less,
for forty days after. st. Swithin's
day in the year 1925 was very wet,
and SO Bulliot offered to bet any one
who chose to put down his money
that the next forty days would be
rainy. So many persons showed a
desire to take up this wager that its
terms were reduced to writing, as fol-
flows: "If dating fIom st. Swithin' s
day, it rains more or little during forty
days successfully, Bulliot will be con-
sidered to have gained; but if il ceases
to rain for only one day during
that time Bulliot has lost" On these
terms Bulliot betted against all who
presented themselves. He was so
confident of success that he placed
money against articles of value of
every description. People brought
gold-headed canes, snuff boxes, jew
els, even clothes; and Bulliot wagered
as much money against them as he
considered they were worth. When
his stock of cash came to an end he
issued notes and bills Of exchange to
such an extent that it was said he had
paper money out to the amount of
100, 900 crowns.
All this naturally excited great
deal of public curiosity, and the rash
man found himself quite fashionable
for the time being. Verses were made
in his honor, play was produced
which had him for its hero; in word
he attracted as much attention as
though he were a monarch or famous
statesman. But, unfortunately for
Bulloit, st. Swithin was not true to his
character. For the first twenty-one
days Of the stipulated time more or
less rain fell. The twenty-second day,
however, was bright and cloudless,
and night came on without there be-
ing the slightest sign Of rain. Builiot
was ruined, and ruined so completely
that he was unable to meet the notes
and bills that bore his name. The
holders of these tried to enforce pay
ment; but the ancient law did not
recognize debts of this kind any more
than does the laws of more modern
days. They were non-suited and their
debts declared irrecoverable.
A foreign prince staying in Paris
made a bet with member of the
Imperial club that he (the prince)
would, in the course of the next two
hours, be arrested by the police with
out committing any offense or pro-
voking the authorities in any fashion.
The way he won his wager was by
dressing himself in tattered old
blouse, a pair of moldy boots full of
holes, and a disreputable burlesque
of hat. Thus attired, he walked up
to one of the most aristocratic cafes in
Paris, and, seating himself at table,
called for a cup Of chocolate, The
waiter, as was only natural, did not
care about serving SO suspicious look
ing customer before he was assured
that the payment would be forthcom-
ing, 80 he told the prince he must
pay in advance.
Upon this his highness pulled a
bundle of bank notes out of his pocket,
and picking out one OF considerable
value, told him to take the price of
f1o cofro, ont rf - a,I hr;per hack tho
change. The man Immediately went
in search of the proprietor of the cafe,
who, when he heard the facts in the |
case, ordered the coffee to be served,
and at the same time sent to the near
est police station for a sergeant de
vile. The prince was, of course, ar
rested and taken before a commissary
of police. He announced his rank,
and told his reasons for assuming such
an unprincely costume. The authori-
ties we're obduiate at first, but they |
finally consented to send the prince
under escort of the Imperial club,
where the gentleman with whom the
bet had been made proved his identi-
ty and paid his highness the money
he had fairly won.
A wager was made in 1906 in the
Castleyard, York, between Thomas
Hodgson and Samuel Whitehead as to
which should succeed in assuming the
most original character. Umpires
were selected whose duty it was to de-
eide upon the comparative absurdity
of the costumes in which the two men
On the appointed day
HOdgson came before the umpires dec
GRATED with bank notes of various
value on his coat and waistcoat, row
of 5-guinea notes and a long netted
purse of gold round his hat, whilst a
piece of paper bearing the words
''John Bull" was attached to his back.
Whitehead was dressed like wom-
an on one side, one half of his face
was painted, and he wore silk stock
ing and slippear on one leg. The
other half of his face was blacked to
resemble that of a negro. On the
side of his body he
wore a gaudy, long tailed linen coat,
and his leg was cased in half a pair OF
leather breeches, with q boot and
spur. One would fancy that White
head must have presented by far the
uioSt singular appearance. 1Ht um-
pires thought differently, however, and
awarded the stakes to Hodgson.
A notorious gambler of the last CEN
tury finally ruined himself by very
bet. He had been
playing with Lord Lorne. Their
stakes had been very high and luck
had gone steadily against him. Exas-
perated at his losses he jumped upI
from the card-table, and seizing a
large punch bowl said: "For one I'll
have a bet where have chance of
winning! Odd or even for Is 5,0OOI
yuineasw "Odd," replied the peer
calmly. The bowl was dashed against
The wall, and on the pieces being
there proved to be an odd one.
The rash gambler paid up his $1,000